Dad-of five with terminal illness put himself in path of train between Exeter and Taunton, inquest hears

Francis Smith was hit by a train at Stoke Cannon between Exeter and Taunton

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Motor neurone disease affects the brain and nerves. It causes weakness that gets worse over time, and there is no cure.

In a statement, his wife said how they had first met at a workplace in Willand in 1975 and went on to have five children.

After Mr Smith retired from factory work at the age of 65, he became a courier driver collecting cars for a local dealership.

Mrs Smith recalled: “Apart from remission for kidney cancer, he had always enjoyed good health.

“In October 2018 I started to notice subtle changes in his behaviour. He started off by clearing his throat a lot, and that progressed to voice loss. After Christmas 2018, and into 2019 he lost a lot of weight.

“The early months of 2019 saw him struggle more and more with his mobility and eventually on July 3, 2019, he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease.

“At the time of his diagnosis he had already been suffering from the disease for about a year. The early signs were subtle and difficult to diagnose.

“He was given a rough life expectancy of another two years. He was devastated by his diagnosis and we spoke at length about it.”

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She told of how he had registered with Dignitas in Switzerland as a means of ending his life, which she believed would have been in October 2019.

On the morning of his death she said he had left their house at around 9.30am to drive to Tiverton to withdraw some money from the bank, and there was nothing about his behaviour that gave her cause for concern.

She told how she was told about his death in the afternoon when the British Transport Police came to the house.

The inquest, held at Exeter's County Hall on Wednesday (May 13), heard he had not left any notes or messages, and had not gone to the bank.

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A local dog walker told in a statement how she had seen him near the railway track shortly before his death.

She said: “He looked really depressed and had his head down and was constantly checking and rechecking his watch.

She added: “I was very uneasy about him.”

The driver of the train, which was due to stop next at Tiverton Parkway, said in a statement that Mr Smith made no effort to move out of the way of the train.

He recalled: “In the four or five seconds I had him in sight, I saw no effort on his part to move away from the line.”

He added: “There was nothing I could do to stop the train at such a short distance.”

Recording a conclusion of suicide, coroner Philip Spinney said: “It’s plain from the evidence he found his diagnosis difficult to come to terms with.

“The evidence supports the conclusion that Mr Smith took his own life, and intended to do so.”

The Samaritans can be reached round the clock, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. If you need a response immediately, it’s best to call them on the phone. You can reach them by calling 116 123, by emailing jo@samaritans.org or by visiting www.samaritans.org